So Much For My Happy Ending
by R. Tom Mato
Summary: Ch62,63,and 97 spoilersKyou loses his bet and must survive the consequences.
1. Chapter One

Title: So Much For My Happy Ending

Author: R. Tom Mato

Summary: Kyou is locked away. How does he deal?

Notes: My cat!muse got PO'd at me for writing too much Snake/Dragon and Monkey/Rooster, and not paying attention to him. So, he crawled in my lap and made me write. sigh

---

_"Please! Don't go! You don't have to go!" _

_"I'm sorry." _

_"No! Kyou, please!" _

_"..." _

_"...!" _

_"I really do love you, you know." _

A loud pounding on his door woke Kyou, making him frown as he opened his eyes. When the dull, dark walls registered in his mind he quickly squeezed them shut again. It hadn't been a nightmare, he was here. In That place. The room with the one window he used to walk by all of the time when he was younger, but Shishou would tug him away from as quickly as possible. He was there now, despite all efforts. Their looks the day of graduation when Akito had come to claim him...even Yuki had looked sad. He wondered why, they'd never cared for one another.

Tohru though...she had screamed. The quiet girl he'd come to love had taken one look at Akito and started screaming. She'd known. Tohru had been trying her hardest to break the curse so his bet with Akito wouldn't apply and they'd all be free. She had stood in front of him, arms out at her sides and just....screamed at Akito. Akito had yelled back, slapping her.

That was when everyone had learned Akito was a woman and that Kureno had been freed from the curse. Very unlike herself, Tohru had slapped Akito back, saying she was a 'cruel, sad girl' to be doing this to another human being. She was so cruel and sad that Kureno had been forced to stay with her even now, when he had a chance at living normally. Of course, this did not please the leader of their clan at all. She had raged, causing even more of a scene than Tohru had. This attracted Tohru's friends, but even that didn't calm Akito down.

_"You have people who care for you, but all you do is hurt them!" _

_"You think they care for me?! They don't care that I'm dying for them, that I am living this half life for them!" _

Finally, she collapsed. Just fell unconscious on the dirt right there without any warning. Kureno and Hatori had quickly checked her over, then took her home. Without knowing why, Kyou followed. This would have been the perfect chance to escape, to go into hiding until Akito gave up on him, but that would have been cowardly. He didn't want to be a coward for the rest of his life, so he went. Tohru had grabbed his arm, begging him to stay until she was in tears. Sadly, he gave her a kiss, a real kiss, told her he really did love her, and left. It was wrong of him to do so, he knew, but he couldn't leave without letting her know.

"What are you thinking about, monster?"

Kyou's eyes snapped open again like he'd just been shocked. Sitting up, he stared at the small, stick-like frame of Akito in the doorway. "Still alive, then?" he asked, glaring at her.

Her own dark eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth. It had only been two days since he'd arrived in here and during that time Akito had been 'recovering' from her ordeal. She still looked like she would collapse at any moment. "Stupid cat," she hissed. "How can you still be alive! You'll never see any of them again, not even that insolent, ugly girl. I had hoped you'd have killed yourself by now."

"Now why would I give you that satisfaction?" Kyou drawled, ignoring the stab of pain and anger the words caused.

"The first days are the worst," she continued, a dark smile crawling over her lips. "You wont be able to handle it."

Before he could say anything, she turned and left. While he heard her footsteps going down the hallway, someone else was replacing the lock on his door. He tried to figure out who it was, but they left quickly. With a sigh, he lay back down on the thin futon, the only thing in this room aside from himself. The sad thing was, he knew she was right. Already the walls of the too-small room seemed to close in on him, and the barred window was no relief for the claustrophobia.

---

The week passed slowly, each day an eternity and the nights even longer because he couldn't sleep. If it weren't for being able to tell the time by the sun through his window, Kyou surely would have broken as Akito had predicted. His meals were brought in three times a day by different people of the staff. Whenever they would come, it was all he could do to keep his mouth shut. The silence in the room was deafening and he wanted to talk to someone so badly.

On the eighth day, he had taken to pacing. Eight steps wide and six steps long. Always the same. The walls of the room, even the door, were a hard wood. They were so thick when he punched them with full strength all that happened was that he got sore knuckles.

By the twelfth day, Kyou was inspecting the walls. If there was a crack, a nook, he would find it. Just one weak spot and he could get out. He was starting to smell and the room was as well.

At the two week mark, three men came into his room. They stripped his clothing off and chained his wrists and ankles, then threw a large yukata over his exposed body. Two held him by the arms, half carrying him since he could barely move his legs, while the third led them down the hallway. They hadn't gone far when the third stopped in front of another door. He opened it and Kyou glanced around him to see a simple bathroom. Rage burned inside him. This had been here all this time, while he had been forced to use a chamber pot in the corner?!

Before he could voice his protests, he was shoved inside. The yukata was removed and the three men took positions around the room, seemingly as far away as they could get. The door was closed once they were all inside and Kyou glanced around nervously. He was to bathe in front of these people.

"You have five minutes." the one by the door told him, not even meeting his eyes.

A cold shiver ran over Kyou's skin. He wanted the yukata back, he didn't want to be naked in front of these people. Naked and chained like some twisted fantasy of that Akito's. Part of him wanted to cry, wanted to scream for Tohru, or Shishou, or...hell, even Yuki to come save him from this, but he'd closed off that part after the third day. With a small nod, he stepped into the pre-drawn bath and held back a hiss. The water was like ice, making him shiver again.

It took careful maneuvering to wash his hair without hitting himself in the face with the chains. The first few times he'd done it, the men in the room with him had laughed. Kyou's cheeks burned with shame, the only warmth he could feel right now. He'd washed as quickly as possible before climbing out, his whole body shaking as the cold air hit him. He looked around for a towel, but the men were moving again. They threw the yukata over him and quickly took him from the room and back down the hallway. His room had been aired out as well as it could in the five minutes, but it was a definite improvement. The futon was changed as well, though it was just as thin as the last.

The men unchained Kyou and left immediately, the sound of the lock clicking into place loud to the Cat's ears. He sat there in the middle of the room, yukata draped over his dripping frame, and waited for someone to bring back his clothes. He waited and waited, his hair sending drops of water over his face and down his neck. Inside him, his cursed spirit raged. It hated the water, and to be left dripping and cold was a great insult.

Finally convincing himself that no one was coming, Kyou shakily took off the yukata and dried himself the best he could. After he was done he wrapped the damp garment around himself, tying it tightly. The sleeves covered his hands completely and it dragged on the floor when he stood. It was far too big, but then...he supposed he would grow into it.


	2. Chapter Two

This has been on my LJ for a while. I don't know why I didn't put it here. There's a bit more too, I just have to find it. Expect updates and new short stories/drabbles over the next few days. -sigh-

There was no sign of the other Zodiac after he was locked away. Every day Kyou would stare out the window, hardly glancing from the outside world to see who came through his door to deliver his meals. He hoped for just a glimpse of one of them, any of them, even that damn Yuki. None ever came though, and he added another mark in the wood for another day lost.

The marks only depressed him more, though. The walls were covered with them. It was hard to tell since the wood hid them unless you really tried to see, but they were there. Dozens of them, large, small, in neat groups or scattered about. There was a small spot in the corner farthest from the door and window that was bare and Kyou had started to use that. He grouped them in sevens, because every week he was taken from his room by the three men to have his bath.

He still only had the yukata to cover himself with, but by now he had stopped blushing in front of the men. The key was to tune them out and only listen to the third one's orders, since he seemed like the leader. Hurry up, a minute left, time to go. That was all he needed to hear from him. In return he didn't speak, he hadn't spoken since that last conversation with Akito. No one attempted to really speak to him, so he had no reason to reply.

The weather started to get warmer and Kyou counted the marks he had made after coming back from his bath. There were forty-nine. He'd been in here for seven weeks. It seemed so long, but really he'd never have known otherwise, since even with his timed bathings he tended to forget the days. His hair had grown shaggy, almost down to his shoulders now and the bangs fell past his cheeks. He still only had very faint facial hair, but he was forced to shave every week after his bath whether he needed it or not.

Forty-nine days...he had let himself stay in here for fourty-nine days. He hadn't fought, he hadn't even attempted an escape or asked to see one of his friends. What were they doing? Tohru was probably out in the world now; he hoped she had made it into college. She had worked very hard to save up enough money and Shigure had finally made himself useful and offered to pay what she couldn't-allowing her, of course, to pay it back at her leisure when she protested. What had she wanted to study? She'd said something before but...he couldn't remember...

Kyou's eyes widened and he jerked away from the window, staring frantically around the room. She had told him, why couldn't he remember? He knew...what was it...

"WHAT WAS IT!" he screamed, his voice rough and grating from disuse. His thin fingers tangled in his long hair and tugged angrily, trying to shock his mind into recalling Tohru's words. "WHAT WAS IT!"

He couldn't remember...everything had just become routine in this place and he'd let himself forget the most important thing in the world. As he thought, he found he could recall other things, either. What her favorite dish to make for them was, what he had gotten her for her last birthday. The others as well. What had they done at the beach house over summer break? What had Momiji and Haru's class done for the school festival that had gotten everyone so excited?

His breathing became labored and Kyou backed into a corner, his fingers still clinging to his hair. As the cool wood hit his back he felt his knees give out and he slowly sank to the floor. There was nothing...he couldn't remember...he couldn't remember anything...

Hot tears bit angrily at his eyes and burned long streaks down his face, wrenching strangled sobs from the boy. Kyou grit his teeth together hard and clenched his eyes shut in an effort to make them stop but nothing worked. He drew his knees up to his chest, trying to back himself even further into the wall, and managed to yank his hands out of his hair. Desperate to stop the tears, he drove the hell of his palms against his eyes.

Lights flashed in the darkness behind his eyelids and he pressed harder, but nothing worked. His sobbing only grew louder until he was choking and his face was flushed a firey red. His eyes burned and his nose was stuffed so badly he had to gasp for breath through his mouth. The loud intakes of air were almost deafening to his ears after the weeks of silence, for once actually drowning out his own heartbeat. How long passed, he wasn't sure, but the tears wouldn't stop and Kyou just sat there, huddled back against the wall with his hands pressed against his closed eyes as he weeped.

Just down the hall, leaning weakly against the wall for support, Akito listened silently to the yowls of the broken cat. The pathetic, jerking wails were music to her ears and she smiled softly as she let her head rest against the wood. Her eyes fell half-closed and she listened as though caught in a dream. This made her very, very happy. As the weeks passed and that stupid monster only complied with the new rules set for him, she had worried. She wanted him broken, crying, and pleading for her. When all his pride was gone and he was completely dependant on her, as the cat should always have been, then things would be perfect. She'd have all the animals by her side; she wouldn't allow the cat to escape again.


	3. Chapter Three

Because I can't find another way to respond to reviews, I'll put them here.

optimistic girl94- These are all basic questions if you've read the manga. I'm sure why he's in the room has been stated thus in what's been English translated, but it should be coming around volume 11 or so. However, it is known that the Cat is locked away from all the others until his death because of the Zodiac legend and the curse. Like Kazuma's grandfather. And Akito wants all of the animals because she's God and a little touched around the edges.

reibunny- You serious? I haven't read too many Kyou-confinement stories. I don't read a whole lot of FB fic, actually. " I'm glad you like it though, I'm pretty much just making it up as I go along so I worry I'll get out of hand. He's only been in there about a month and a half or so, but he's young, this is basically his nightmare, and he's ALONE. Thanks, and again, glad you liked.

Yukako- I know! I lose things all the time, forgetting where I put them. It frustrates me so much, but just imagine if it were something that important. Heh, from what I've seen, Akito is quick to fly off the handle, but only when things don't go her way or someone talks back to her. Kyou's done a lot of that, but she's got a plan and she's confident enough in it that she doesn't need to do anything else. I wasn't expecting anymore updates either, but then I'd thought I'd posted this second part a long time ago. And had half of this third written, so during my sleep-deprived moments I wrote the rest. I've got ideas for more, so we'll see how that goes.

And thank everyone else for their feedback! It really makes my day to know that people are reading my babble and LIKING it.

Part 3

Kyou was in his usual position at the window the next day. His eyes burned and his throat ached still, but he ignored it. As he gazed at what little of the world he could see, he went through his mind as far back as he could. He brought up everything he could remember and relived it, even the memories of his mother. He didn't want to forget anything again, he'd even taken to murmuring out loud as he did. His eyes were glazed slightly and he hadn't blinked in minutes.

"-always inside, it's safe there," he murmured, his rough voice loud in the silent room. "I'm safe, Mom. I promise I'll stay safe."

My good boy.

A tiny smile touched his lips, just barely lifting up the corners of his mouth.

"I haven't heard a word from him all day," Akito frowned, standing at the end of the hallway. "He isn't dead?"

Kureno shook his head. "No, the servant that gave him his lunch said he was still alive."

"He's broken though," she insisted, nodding to herself. "He'll call for me soon. He'll see that I'm the only one he has."

Kureno stayed silent, staring down the hall to the room's door. It had always frightened him when he was younger, seeing the last cat inside and just...watching from the window. Always watching, never moving, trying to curse them.

"Let's go," Akito announced. "I'm tired of standing here."

Gratefully, Kureno nodded. He didn't want to stay in this place any longer than he had to.

"Fifty-four, fifty-five," Kyou murmured, sitting in the corner where he made his daily marks a week later. He gouged his thumbnail into the wood and dragged it down just enough to leave a visible dash next to the others. "Fifty-six. Fifty-six is a bath day."

The orange-haired boy nodded to himself. He was glad it was a bath day, all the crying had made his face grimy and the small cups of water he was given with his meals never had any liquid left over. The heat was making his room very humid as well and his futon had started to smell. It would be nice to feel clean again. He ate his breakfast quickly when it was delivered, holding the food in his hands as he leaned against the wall by his window. It was too hard to eat with chopsticks while standing and he had chosen to give up manners rather than chance missing one of the zodiac outside his window.

When he was done, he wiped his fingers carelessly against his yukata. It wouldn't matter how dirty it got today because he'd be getting his bath soon and a fresh robe afterwards. It would only be a couple hours until then. They always came before lunch, and he got to enjoy having a meal while in clean clothes and a clean room. Lunches on the seventh day were his favorite for this reason. Time passed slowly and Kyou kept his ears tuned to the hallway for the familiar plodding of three pairs of footsteps.

After what felt like forever, he finally heard something. Two pairs of footsteps were coming down the hall toward his room.

"Just two?" Kyou murmured, his voice barely even a whisper. "No, no that's not right. It's three. Where's three?"

He looked over as his door was unlocked and pulled open and frowned when he saw the old man. He was one of many that brought him his meals, and right now was carrying a lunch tray. Another man stood outside, watching him carefully as the old man set the tray down on the floor.

"Hey," Kyou called out, his voice cracking as he tried to speak louder. "Hey, where are the others?"

Both the old man and the guard looked startled that he had spoken.

"It's the fifty-sixth day," he told them. "Three guys. They're supposed to come before lunch."

The guard stepped inside and helped the shocked man out of the room, quickly closing the door and re-locking it. Neither had spoken a word of explanation.

"Hey!" Kyou yelled, turning away from the window. "Get back here!"

The footsteps faded quickly and his frown deepened. His red eyes widened and he threw himself across the room, knocking over his tray in the process, and searched his corner for the marks. They were grouped in sevens, only half an inch long and not too deep.

"There...there...one, two, three..." he counted them all. He counted them again when the number was still fifty-six. He counted them once more just to be sure and the number was still fifty-six. "Fifty-six. It's a bath day. It is! It's fifty-six!"

Three pairs of footsteps came down the hall this time and Kyou's heart leapt. Three, three was right...but one wasn't heavy enough. Like a smaller person's...

The lock rattled as it was taken off and again the door was opened. A guard came in, followed by Akito. She had a sour expression on her face but her eyes danced with something else. He pressed his back against the corner and glared back at her. What did she want with him today? He hadn't seen her in weeks.

"You're causing trouble for me, cat," she stated, taking a few steps closer to him. He merely bared his teeth in response. "You know you're not supposed to talk to the servants, and they aren't supposed to talk to you. Then you were yelling and frightened them."

"It's the fifty-sixth day," Kyou told her, sitting tensely. "Eighth week."

One of those hateful smirks appeared on her lips and she tilted her head to the side. "Stupid cat," she said softly in an almost laughing tone. "It's the fifty-fifth day. That's what you caused so much trouble over?"

Something dark and cold spread out inside Kyou's stomach. Fifty...fifth? No, it couldn't be. He had marked it.

"Then you miscounted," Akito replied, making him realize he'd said that out loud. "Stupid cat."

Without another word she turned and left, and if Kyou hadn't been staring at the marks on the wall in horrified disbelief he'd have seen the smirk on her face. The door shut, the click of the lock echoed in the room, but he wasn't listening. He'd slid to the floor, fingers tracing over the marks that had once meant so much. Now they were just scars in the wood, just as useless as he was.

Kureno stayed a step behind Akito as they left Kyou's room. A small frown marred his features and his brow was furrowed. At his sides, his fingers twitched restlessly, tugging at the material of his pant legs as he walked. Ever since that day his mind had been in shambles. Arisa...Tohru...he wondered what had happened to them. Had Hatori erased their memories? He hadn't been allowed in the room while Hatori had examined Akito, she could have ordered him to then.

The others were around though, on the Inside. He was too ashamed to look any of them in the eye anymore. They knew he wasn't one of them, but Akito still refused to let him leave. They wanted to know how, how he had been freed from the curse. How was he supposed to tell them that he didn't know? To this day he had no idea how the Bird's spirit had left him and he was forced to watch his family struggle with their own.

It wasn't until they'd left the small house and started on the path back to the gates to the Inside that Kureno gathered the courage to speak.

"Akito," he began, trying not to choke on his words. "Aren't you...aren't you being too cruel toward Kyou?"

In spite of his soft tone, the question caused Akito to stop walking and spin around to glare at him. His stomach twisted at the sight.

"You know you're not supposed to say it's name, Kureno," she hissed. "It doesn't have a name anymore, and everything I've done it deserves."

She turned on her heel and began walking again, and Kureno followed. "But...he has that whole house, you don't have to keep him in the one room. He can bathe himself, and it would give the servants some relief to be able to leave his meals inside the front door rather than having to walk through those hallways. And today, what you did wasn't right, Akito. You know he's been in there for fifty-six days, and telling him otherwise wont help anything."

"I don't want it just kept out of sight," she replied without looking back at him. Her tone was smooth and slow, carefully pronouncing each word as though trying to explain something to a toddler. "I want the Cat to depend only on me. It will get baths when I say it will, it will be fed only when I let them take it trays. The Cat has always been disobedient and everyone just lets it get away with that. They never teach it to obey."

His frown deepened as she went on. The Cat wasn't supposed to be close to God, that was his punishment. He didn't attend the banquet, didn't dance for God's approval. He was supposed to be shunned and left to rot. It was the way things had always been.

"He'll dance for me, Kureno," Akito declared in such a way you'd think she was recalling a dream. If he tilted his head he could just see the razor-sharp edge of her smile. "Just you wait."


	4. Chapter Four

Title: So Much For My Happy Ending  
Author: R. Tom Mato  
Rating: ...PG, prolly PG-13 for angst and depression.  
Summary: So, Kyou is locked away. How can he deal?  
Warning: Spoilers for 62, 63, and 97. I apologize for not mentioning that sooner.

Notes: Much thanks for all reviews that came my way and for the patience that...most of you, have shown me. ;) I have no plans for abandoning this fic, Akito and Kyou were just being brats and having a glaring contest. They wouldn't do ANYTHING. -sigh-

Part Four

For the rest of the day, he didn't make a sound. He didn't move, didn't sleep. He sat next to the marks that had once meant everything to him, fingers frozen on the impressions in the wood. When dinner came, he didn't even look up, and when the trays were taken away at the end of the day the servant gave him an odd look at sight of the untouched food. The sun set and the shadows invaded his room, reaching out to cover every inch of space. It was a cloudy night and there was no helping light from the stars or the moon this time. They had left him, abandoned him here just like everyone else.

Kyou blinked, his eyes aching from staying open for over an hour since the last moment he managed to pull himself to the surface of his thoughts. If the marks had been wrong, what else was? He'd been trying to keep track of the date and the month so he'd know when his younger cousins would be going to school and when university would start for the older ones. Was he wrong about that as well? But...he couldn't be too far off...the weather...

He couldn't do this. He couldn't stay trapped in here forever, alone, without them...without her. A sudden heaviness fell on his wrist and he lifted it up, just barely seeing the dim outline of his bracelet. The whole reason he was in here was because of what it hid. A little string of blood and bone holding back that thing inside him.

He warily plucked at it, the heavy beads stretching out and snapping back into place as he let go. For hours the clacking of the beads filled the room. Kyou's heart raced, both scared and excited at the thought of what would happen if these beads slipped off of his wrist for even a moment. This room was built to hold in the Cat, but if he let the monster itself loose...let it beat the walls with all its strength...

It was stronger than he was. It could get free! After a while he would change back, he always did after the angry spirit calmed. He was past caring about what would happen between taking off the bracelet and returning to normal. If it meant he'd be free then it would be worth it, he thought as he stood up. His whole body trembled in anticipation...and a little bit of fear. All he had to do was take it off, just slip it off of his wrist and let it fall to the floor. It hated this room, Kyou knew, he could feel that rage inside of him constantly. In every life, this is where it had spent its last days. Locked away but whatever clan head or whoever was in charge then.

His fingers fumbled as he hooked them around two of the beads. Blood and bone, warm and cold at the same time that itched and numbed his skin. It couldn't be done slowly, or his fear would get the better of him. All at once before he could stop himself or that slim chance that Akito would come to 'visit' him. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, a miserable attempt to calm himself and gather his courage.

_I'll be free._

He jerked his right arm away from his body, hissing as the beads slid along his wrist, over the back of his hand, and across his fingers. He let it go immediately and a moment later they hit the far wall with a loud clack, then fell to the ground almost soundlessly.

The change hit immediately. His skin _burned_, from his scalp to the bottom of his feet. It was too dark for him to notice if his vision blurred or if the room spun, but his head still ached. If felt like it would split, and he knew that technically it would. The yukata ripped as his shape stretched and shifted into the form of the cat spirit. The stub of tail shot out from his back and he let out a pained scream, unable to hold it in any longer, but then it was done. He was never so glad for how quickly he changed.

With new eyes he observed the room, his pupils widening to take in every last bit of light. A boiling rage erupted within him as the Cat spirit took in where it was. How it had felt before was nothing compared to the intensity now and he didn't think he could keep it in check anymore. Of course, he didn't want to control it this time. He had to become a bystander, to retreat into his own mind and let the Cat itself take over and do what it thought was best. The spirit seemed to sense this and eagerly helped, rushing to the fore and shoving him back. It was hard to control it under the best of times and his weak will in this instance didn't help at all.

The next events played out like a movie, void of any connecting sensation. His large, clawed hands shot out immediately, stretching the small span of the room to push against both of the walls. They made a dull, muffled sound to Kyou's mind as they hit the wood but he couldn't feel the rough grain under his hands. His legs lashed out, hitting each of the walls in turn with a force that would have broken his own human legs but were nothing for the Cat spirit. Even the barred window took the assault, but hardly squeaked in response.

Harsh breathing filled the room as the Cat stilled. It was surveying everything, trying to find some weak point that hadn't been there in its previous incarnation. Kyou could feel its frustration growing with each passing moment in a detached sort of way. It should have worried him how angry it was becoming, but in this instant he couldn't care. Everything was fading around him as the Cat took more and more control.

Just before his mind blanked, the piercing yowl of the Cat filled the room, loud even to him.

---

Hands on his arms and legs brought Kyou back to consciousness. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that he was back in human form, the return of the heavy weight on his wrist was enough. The thin futon was underneath him and the sounds of birds came only from the direction where the window was. Nothing shattered within him this time, everything was gone. His last hope had failed. All he had to show for it were aching limbs and a headache that made him flinch with every sound of the person that was in the room with him.

Something stung his hand and he jerked away, pulling his tired body into a sitting position and squinting through the harsh daylight at his visitor. The person didn't say anything and didn't try to move near him. Kyou bared his teeth and was about to yell at them to leave when his eyes finally adjusted.

"Hatori?"

No reply came from the doctor's mouth and he had to repeat himself to see if he had actually spoken aloud. Still no reply, but this time Hatori turned away and Kyou looked over his shoulder to see one of the guards standing just inside the room. The usual look of fear and disgust was on his face.

"Tell Akito that the Cat has woken up." the Dragon ordered in his monotoned voice.

He had no need to speak twice; the guard hurried out of the room as though Hatori would change his mind halfway through. Once the footsteps echoed down the hallway and faded altogether, Kyou tried again.

"Hatori, why are you here?"

The doctor fixed a tired glare on him. "Because you just had to try it, and nearly killed yourself in the process," he muttered in a low tone. "Did Kazuma raise you to be this stupid?"

Kyou gaped at the older man for a moment, trying to form a comeback. It was then that he realized just how out of practice he was at conversing with people when they actually talked back. Hatori just shook his head.

"I know you must be getting desperate, but fighting it will only make it worse," he explained. "She's waiting for you to give in."

The response to that didn't even require thought. "Never."

"Then don't go doing foolish things," Hatori snapped. "It will only make life harder for you."

Something in Kyou deflated at the comment. Perhaps it was finally realizing that this was permanent, or that there were no daring rescue plans in the making out there, but the sense of inevitability loomed over him. Everything felt stagnant now; it was completely hopeless. His head dropped, the greasy orange strands falling over his face to block out everything around him.

"If it helps," the Dragon started after a long moment. "Hond--"

"You're done, Hatori."

Neither men dared look up, but their bodies tensed at the voice. Akito stood in the doorway. She was panting softly as though she'd hurried to get here and her black hair clung to her temples from sweat. The guard behind her looked nervous; he'd no doubt gotten a verbal lashing on the way back, either for not coming to get her fast enough or for being too slow in helping her get here.

Hatori stood without a word, not sparing a glance to Kyou, and left. The cat glanced through a small gap in his hair without moving and saw that the doctor was gripping his bag so hard his knuckles were white. He hadn't caught what he'd been about to say, his thoughts dashed by Akito's presence. She moved into the room now, dropping down in front of him and leaning forward with a wide grin, her eyes alight in a way that made his blood run cold.

"Was it worth it?" she asked softly, not bothering to hide the eager tone. "Was it, foolish monster?"

He stayed quiet, keeping his head down. Akito just smirked before reaching out with a finger to draw aside his bangs. It took all his willpower to not jerk away and he still flinched. In spite of her sweat and the hot day her hands were ice cold; a relief to his aching head while sending tremors of fear down his spine.

"I was hoping you'd try it," she went on, uncaring of whether he answered or not. "This way you truly know that you can't escape me. This is your place, the only place you belong now."

Not a word. He couldn't give her the satisfaction. He knew he was stuck here now, that he'd be here until he died. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Didn't she have enough people to torture out there without coming to visit him? He was the Cat, he was supposed to be ignored, hated, locked away, left behind...

"You're crying!" the exclamation that reached his ears was surprised, but excited. His hair was yanked back harshly and he grit his teeth, meeting her gaze for only a moment before squeezing his eyes shut. "My poor monster, it just hit you, didn't it?"

He tried to shake his head, but Akito still had a firm grip on his hair. Her grating laugh surrounded him and drove all his strength away. He _was_ crying and he hated himself for it.

"Don't worry, tomorrow I'll give you a special treat, if you stay quiet tonight," she told him, voice much softer now as though bribing a child. "But only if you stay quiet. No more causing trouble and waking me up in the middle of the night. I don't like my sleep interrupted."

She let go of his hair and gave him a rough pat on the head, then stood. Without another word she strode out of the room, head held high in triumph and her hand held just noticibally out at her side. Kyou stared after her through the crumpled locks, his eyes still stinging. The only sign of her affect on him was his breathing, which grated in his lungs and filled the small room, louder than his own heart.


End file.
